Thorgain Kingdom
The Thorgain Kingdom is a nation of dwarves and gnomes on the northwestern portion of the continent of Pherosum. Geography North of the Kingdom of Emeron in the aptly named Dwarven Mountains is the Thorgain Kingdom. The kingdom is comprised primarily of the mountainous region from the west coast all the way to roughly where the Plains of Galmar start south of the mountain range. The mountains and caverns east of there are called the Dark Peaks by the dwarves and the people do not willingly venture there. The terrain (even underground) is treacherous and the drow elves and duergar (a sub-race of grey skinned evil dwarves) as well as any number of horrible subterranean monsters, dwell here. History The kingdom’s territories, called thanedoms, were once independent but were united under the ancient dwarven hero Elgrim Steelfoot into one kingdom thousands of years ago. Elgrim became the first Thane King of Thorgain. Thorgain mostly kept to themselves however they had begun to trade with the human tribes and small nations to the south. By the time Emeron the Conqueror invaded over 1100 years ago Thorgain's population had grown large enough that the food imports from the south were necessary to support the realm. As a result, although few dwarves believed that Emeron’s armies could have successfully waged war on the mountain kingdom, they acknowledged that the resulting embargo could starve the dwarves into submission. King Baltak Ironhammer agreed to join the Emeron Kingdom, ruling Thorgain as Duke Baltak, as long as the food continued to flow and the dwarves could govern themselves (apart from their oath of fealty to the crown of course). Since that time the dwarves had redoubled their efforts to improve their food production. Since there is a bare minimum of agriculture in the mountains this meant the raising of livestock and expansion of edible fungus markets underground. By the time the Crown of the Monarch was lost and the Kingdom of Emeron split into principalities in 620 the dwarves were largely self-sufficient (though the lack of food imports would bring hardship, it would not cause mass starvation) so Duke Uler Ironhammer felt no compunction in again declaring Thorgain and independent kingdom and himself Thane King. He established or reaffirmed trade routes for imports and exports in the Principalities of Emeron and Rupmon. By the time the Crown of the Monarch had resurfaced and the Kingdom of Emeron had reunited under King Joslin Woodbridge, Thorgain had prospered during its 450+ years of independence and Thane King Farim Ironbreaker saw no need to accept King Joslin’s offer to rejoin Emeron. He did maintain good relations with King Joslin, however, establishing embassies and reaffirming the trade routes. More recently Thane King Farim has agreed to send legions of carpenters and stonemasons to Rupmon to support Emeron’s construction project of an immense bridge to cross the Grand Chasm. In return Thorgain is set to receive gold as well as land concessions and the right to establish colonies in the land beyond the Chasm. Thanedoms Thorgain is divided into five thanedoms, each of which has their own hereditary ruler (thanes) who are vassals to the thane king. The thanedoms are: Thorgain, Kragin’s Peak, Farside, Gnomedon, and Crysanth. The exact lines separating the thanedoms are impossible for cartographers to measure because the realms extend underground far deeper and wider than would be shown on a map. Thorgain The Thanedom of Thorgain is the seat of power in the Thorgain Kingdom. Located in the center and southeastern part of the realm it is said that the underground tunnels of Thorgain reach every other thanedom. Blessed with incredibly rich mines and plentiful fungal growing conditions the people of Thorgain are among the richest in the kingdom. They also trade regularly with the humans in the Barony of Lurinlund, often using the town of Hardale as their trade point. The southeastern most point of the thanedom (and indeed the kingdom) is in the hills at the base of the mountains. It borders the Plains of Galmar and Fort Hammercrush watches the plains to guard against raids from the Galmarian Barbarians. Thorgain is ruled directly by Thane King Farim Ironbreaker. Kragin’s Peak Located the farthest north and among the highest mountains is Kragin’s Peak. Life is harsh there, even by dwarven standards, and it is whispered that the tunnels and caves of Kragin’s Peak go deep enough to encounter subterranean monsters that would bring nightmares to even the toughest of dwarves. What is known is that the people of Kragin’s Peak are tough and hardy (even by dwarven standards) and that their warriors are among the fiercest and toughest in the kingdom. The Thane of Kragin’s Peak is Quimby Copperthumb. Farside Located to the northeastern part of the realm, Farside guards the kingdom against the drow, duergar and other evils that may wish to come west and destroy the kingdom. As a result the people of Farside are well versed in warfare and their warriors are excellent tacticians. The current thane is Norola Silveraxe, a powerful and renowned warrior. Gnomedon Gnomedon is located to the west and has some of the best gemstone deposits within the realm. Although gnomes can be found throughout the kingdom in varying numbers, it is here that they derive from. The Gnomish people are natural allies of the dwarves and when they were first brought into the kingdom centuries ago by Elgrim Steelfoot, they agreed so long as Gnomedon was always ruled by gnomes. The current thane is Passia Glimmerstone. Crysanth Crysanth is located to the southernmost part of the kingdom. Crysanth is considered the major trading hub of the kingdom for both imports and exports. Though a fair amount foodstuffs and trade goods come into the kingdom through Farside’s trade with the human barony of Lurinlund, most of the trade comes through Crysanth, whose capital is located in the hills at the base of the mountains. Trade Road connects Crysanth to the Barony of Sellingsburg and the Osquad River flows from the mountains east of Crysanth. There are some dwarven river ships that sail from Crysanth to trade with the realms farther south as well. Since Crysanth is the thanedom with the capital closest to Emeron it is often considered the unofficial diplomatic point between the two kingdoms as well, so the thane often has to play diplomat to the humans of Emeron and their concerns. With more hill regions than any other thanedom in the kingdom Crysanth finds itself with far less underground warrens and far more farming than all of the other thanedoms. As a result they are considered something of the breadbasket of the kingdom, but because of the lack of fierce mountains in much of the thanedom it is also the prevailing wisdom that it would be difficult to hold should a war ever break out between Thorgain and Emeron. The current thane of Crysanth is Obsidian Fireforge. The Flat Located right in the middle of the Mountains is an area the dwarves just call The Flat. It’s a large area of flat land that appears blackened and blasted. It is not inhabited and food does not seem to grow there. Past attempts to settle the area have met with complete failure, often with the entire population vanishing. There are no known tunnels under The Flat and attempts to find or create some have been doomed with the same kind of failure as colonies there. The dwarves avoid the area, but there are vague rumors (mostly dismissed as ghost stories) of horrible monsters or ghosts that live on or below the Flat. Category:Emeron Category:Nations Category:Thorgain Category:Dwarves